Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-05-26

current and almost touched the levee at
Vicksburg. Lights were burning all over
the city, men were passing all about and a
chain of guards were on duty next the
waters edge. All these were talking, and
the sound of their voices was plainly heard
on the Indianola. Presently, however, a
soldier on duty near lighted fire saw a
dark, moving mass on the water and dis
charged his piece; this was followed by
many musket shots, and the lndianola now
putting on steam became a target for the
guuners beside the heavy columbiads at the
edge of the bluff She. however, received
but little damage, and passed on down the
river, and rescued the Era as before mar
rated After this the mouth OF the Red
river was reached and this stream ascend
ed for a time, when it was learned the
Queen of the West had undergone repairs
at the hands of the Confederates and might
be expected down at any time. As the lat
ter vessel with the Webb would be more
than match for the lndanola, this gun
boat turned about, ran down to the mouth
of Red River, and from thence up the Mis-
sissippi to the mouth of the Big Black.
The last mentioned stream 1T was designed
to enter and ascend as far as the Vclls-
burg & jackson railway bridge, which
structure it was the intention to destroy.
Toward night of February "a, two YES
sells approached from below that proved to
be the Confederate gun-boat Webb and ram
Queen Of the West. The Indanola re-
treated up the river to near New Carthage,
when she turned about to attack her antag-
onists. The Confederate vessels contrived
to ram the Indianola number of times,
till she was reduced to a sinking condition
and was ran ashore and surrendered. The
a Al 4h11e iNcN Is a
best on the river and had been built but a
short time.
The Queen of the West assembled the
river as far as Warrenton, to serve as a
sort of picket to the Confederate navy
Meantime the Confederates were making
strenuous efforts to raise and refit the
Indianola Two or three days after the
surrender of the latter vessel, the Webb
came hurrying down the river with orders
for the Indianola to be blown up at once
as powerful Federal gunboat had run the
Vicksburg batteries, and was now on her
way down the river, bent on the capture
and destruction of all Confederate crafts.
As soon as this message was delivered the
lndianola was blown up and the Queen re-
treated up Red river, whittier she was pre-
coded by the balance of the Confederate
feet.
But what of the terrible gun-boat that
created so much CONSERVATION with the
Confederates, causing them to retire their
movable vessels up Red river and blow up
the superb Indianola?
A few days prior to this action by the
Confederates, Commodore Porter had fitted
up the hulk of an old fat boat in imitation
of gunboat. Pork barrels were piled up
in the form of smoke-stacks, and through
them poured quantities of smoke from mud
furnaces beneath. A dark coat of paint
and some further imitation work made the
resemblance to a gunboat complete, and
one dark night this dummy was set adrift
in the current of the river just above
Vicksburg. !,
The Confederate batteries fired at her.
with much vigor but some way, all missed
the mark, and the ''gunboat" of such pow
erful aspect passed by unframed; and by
the Star of the West word was hurriedly
sent down the river for the destruction of
the Indianola. Two months later the
Queen of the West was blown up
to obviate falling into Federal hands,
and about the time the Confederacy was
going to pieces in April, 1865, the Webb
loaded with cotton, ran out Of Red river,
thence down the Mississippi, past several
gun-boats and even past New Orleans, but
being at last intercepted by the Brooklyn,
ran ashore and was set on fire.
The daring of this adventure excited
much interest at the time in General Can
by's department.
About the middle of March, 1868, Com
modore Farragut succeeded in passing the
Port Hudson batteries with two of his
vessels and about week later communi-
Gated from Just below Vicksburg with
Commodore Porter's feet just above.
Needing some relnforcements in the way
OF vessels Farragut asked for some from